BLOCKBUSTER : Penn State’s Paterno May Open Things Up

PLANTATION, Fla. —  Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden has the reputation for flashy plays and trickery, but Penn State’s Joe Paterno says he might have a trick or two ready if needed to win the Blockbuster Bowl.

“We have enough gimmicks that if we had to do something to change the face of the game, we can,” Paterno said.

His seventh-ranked Nittany Lions are preparing for the No. 6 Seminoles in the first Blockbuster Bowl on Friday in Miami.

His quarterback, Tony Sacca, said there’s no question about Paterno’s kind of game.

“He’d rather win a game 10-7 or 13-10,” Sacca said.

But facing an explosive Florida State offense that overwhelmed Florida in its last game, 45-30, Paterno said Penn State can keep up.

“We go into every football game thinking if we get into a scoring game, we can score,” he said.

“We know what we need in different situations, so we try to play the game by the seat of our pants. If that means you have to do some stuff that looks like it’s fancy to the fans, you do it.”

In their upset of then-No. 1 Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions scored their first touchdown with a fake handoff, fake-reverse pass play from Sacca to receiver Terry Smith.

While Paterno usually likes getting the ball to his tailback, he said this year’s team, which averaged 181.1 rushing yards, hasn’t been a strong running team.